Violate (story arc)
The Violate Arc covers Gardevoir's secret mating bond with Lily. It is the first major story arc for Madhouse and spans the majority of the comic's runtime. Synopsis Twelve years previously when Lily was 14, Gardevoir began to dread the disparate lifespans between herself and her best friend. Both fearing death, and what Lily's parents would do once she couldn't protect her anymore, Gardevoir formed a mating bond with Lily while she was asleep. She then kept this secret from her, lying about how intense trainer bonds could become and permanently silencing anyone who discovered it. When Lily was 26, Gardevoir finally confessed this secret to her. This resulted in Lily exploding in anger and screaming at Gardevoir for her betrayal of her trust and the violation of her personhood, as the two had been effectively sharing a personality and were fundamentally changed by the mating bond being formed. She also informed Gardevoir that what she had done had made Lily a felon as such a bond between a human and Pokemon was a serious crime. Lily and Gardevoir's previously close friendship was hanging by a thread as a result of this, and for the next two months Lily showed herself to be rather cold and callous toward Gardevoir, often holding the threat of severing the bond and ending her life over her head. This continued until she was called out by Mikaila, who remarked that Gardevoir had spent the last 12 years making up for the mating bond without any incentive to do so and compared Lily's behavior to her abusive ex-fiance. This resulted in Lily apologizing to Gardevoir, to which Gardevoir meekly asked if Lily hated her. Lily denied this, and hugged her saying that they were okay. Later, after visiting the Pokemon Sanctuary and attacking Cala, Gardevoir got into an argument with Lily where, in a fit of rage, screamed "BUT YOU'RE MINE!" when Lily remarked that Ralts always bond and that Cala bonding to her couldn't be helped. Later she confessed to Lily that she was deeply in love with her and was hating herself for it. Lily comforted Gardevoir and told her that she had nothing to fear and that she would neither take advantage of her or send her away. This seemed to pacify her and the two hugged. From that point onward, things with G seemed to mellow out and a lot of her anxieties have since been alleviated. While still prone to bouts of anxiety or possessiveness, it has become a lot easier to manage now that Lily knows what she's working with. Character Development The Violate Arc saw Gardevoir change from a relatively comfortable person to a nervous wreck as the taunting from many other characters began to degrade her psyche. It ultimately came to a point where she was so anxious and so possessive that she was willing to attack a child. Currently, she hasn't seen much growth and is expected to recover from the stress slowly, but will eventually see improvement now that all of her secrets are out in the open. Orchard was adamant about the idea that the Violate Arc not be a "stronger for it" story for Gardevoir, as it is her belief that trauma and stress don't make you stronger, they wound you. She has gone on record stating that Gardevoir won't be a better person after all of this, she can only hope to get to where she used to be. Trivia *Violate was the first major story arc for the comic, and has so far spanned the comic's entire runtime. *Violate is the main story that covers the themes of Pokemon Abuse, Gardevoir stereotypes, and power dynamics.